DARWIN. 55 



nishing a delightful narrative to the general reader, and 

 laying the foundation for generalisations of surpassing 

 importance to all thinking minds. 



It was evident to many geologists that the greatest 

 value would attach to the full record of the geological 

 observations made by the gifted young secretary of the 

 Geological Society. A year after the publication of the 

 Journal the first portion of these observations, dealing 

 with coral reefs, was almost ready, but the continued ill- 

 health of the author delayed the publication till 1842. 

 When it appeared, under the title of " The Structure and 

 Distribution of Coral Reefs," its success was immediate 

 and complete. 



Ever since their first description by voyagers, marvel 

 had been expressed at the strange and beautiful pheno- 

 mena presented by coral islands. Coral, as being built 

 up by the tireless labours of innumerable so-called 

 " insects," or " worms," had become associated with 

 romantic ideas. It really consists of the internal skeletons 

 of coral-polyps, allied to the sea anemone. Captain Basil 

 Hall, in his " Voyage to Loo Choo," looking with the 

 eyes of one ignorant of zoology, had credited the building 

 of coral reefs to all kinds of creatures which lived on and 

 near the coral after it had been made ; and his erroneous 

 views had been amplified and developed by James 

 Montgomery, in his "Pelican Island," into the most 

 fantastically incorrect description that ever versifier 

 penned. Sad to relate, his lines were often quoted, as 

 if correct, by scientific men in pre-Darwinian times. 



Nothing gives clearer evidence of the power of mind 

 which Darwin had already attained when voyaging round 



